Reported by TMZ and confirmed by other major outlets, Marcia Lucas, the first wife of Star Wars creator George Lucas, has passed away at the age of 80 after a battle with metastatic cancer. Her family’s attorney confirmed the news of her passing, and her family shared a statement honoring her memory and her impressive legacy in Hollywood:
“Marcia will be remembered as a brilliant storyteller, a trailblazer for women in film, a loving mother and grandmother, a generous host, and a loyal friend whose humor and sparkle filled every room she entered. Her influence on film is indelible, but those who knew her best will remember the way she made life feel more vivid, more beautiful, more fun, and more full of love. Her work was known for its emotional intelligence, rhythm, and humanity — a rare ability to find the truth of a scene and bring heart, momentum, and clarity to the screen.”
Described as George Lucas’s “secret weapon,” George and Marcia met when they were both hired to work with film editor Verna Field. They married in 1969 and were together for 14 years until their divorce in 1983. During that time, she earned fame and adulation for her work as an editor.
Most notably, she worked with her husband on two of the original three Star Wars movies, serving as the editor for both 1977’s Star Wars: Episode IV — A New Hope and 1983’s Star Wars: Episode VI — Return of the Jedi. She also worked in an uncredited role on Lucas’s first project, a 32-minute documentary titled Filmmaker, which highlighted the making of Francis Ford Coppola’s 1969 movie, The Rain People. She later worked as an assistant editor on THX 1138 in 1971 and moved into the editor’s chair for 1973’s American Graffiti. Lucas made headlines in recent years for her commentary on newer Star Wars projects, specifically expressing her disappointment with the development of the sequel trilogy.
Including Star Wars, Marcia Lucas had 13 film credits (including uncredited roles) as either an assistant editor, lead editor, or supervising editor. This includes working on three movies directed by Martin Scorsese (who recently played a supporting role in The Mandalorian and Grogu). Along with credits on Alice Doesn’t Live Here Anymore and New York, New York, she was the supervising editor on 1976’s Taxi Driver, which became one of the most respected movies of all time thanks to its screenplay, improvisation, and character study.
MovieWeb sends its deepest condolences and prayers to Marcia Lucas’s family, friends, and loved ones.
